Devices and methods for analyzing spatter generating events

ABSTRACT

A method for monitoring a spatter generating event during a welding application. The method includes capturing data that corresponds to a welding current of the welding application. The method also includes detecting parameters associated with a short circuit from the captured data. The method includes analyzing the detected parameters to monitor the spatter generating event during the welding application.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation patent application from U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/930,038, entitled “Devices and Methods forAnalyzing Spatter Generating Events”, filed Nov. 2, 2015, which is aContinuation patent application from U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/436,673, entitled “Devices and Methods for Analyzing SpatterGenerating Events”, filed Mar. 30, 2012, which issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,174,294 on Nov. 3, 2015, both of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entireties for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to welding applications, and, moreparticularly, to devices and methods for analyzing spatter generatingevents.

Welding is a process that has become increasingly utilized in variousindustries and applications. Such processes may be automated in certaincontexts, although a large number of applications continue to exist formanual welding applications. In both cases, such welding applicationsrely on a variety of types of equipment to ensure that the supply ofwelding consumables (e.g., wire, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to theweld in an appropriate amount at the desired time. For example, metalinert gas (MIG) welding typically relies on a wire feeder to enable awelding wire to reach a welding torch. The wire is continuously fedduring welding to provide filler metal. A power source ensures that archeating is available to melt the filler metal and the underlying basemetal.

In certain welding applications, spatter may be inadvertently generated.Such spatter may include unwanted pieces or balls of molten metal thatare created and adhere to a workpiece during the welding application. Invarious industries, a workpiece having spatter thereon may be considereda sign of poor quality. Spatter may be generated due to a variety offactors, such as material conditions, workpiece positioning, powersupply characteristics, outgassing of vaporized materials, operatortechnique, and so forth. As such, an experienced operator may be able todetect spatter generating conditions by the sound of the arc. Forexample, an arc without spatter generating conditions may have a steady,consistent frequency. In contrast, an arc with spatter generatingconditions typically has an unsteady frequency and an intermittentstumbling sound. However, in certain circumstances, an experiencedwelding operator may ignore potential spatter generating conditions(e.g., due to increased time pressures, part conditions, personalcomfort, etc.) and compromise the quality of the workpiece. Further,certain welding operators may be inexperienced and unable to detectspatter generating events. Accordingly, there is a need in the field fortechniques to monitor a welding application for spatter generatingevents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, a method for monitoring a spatter generating eventduring a welding application includes capturing data that corresponds toa welding current of the welding application. The method also includesdetecting parameters associated with a short circuit from the captureddata. The method includes analyzing the detected parameters to monitorthe spatter generating event during the welding application.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory tangible machine-readable mediumhas code stored thereon. The code includes instructions for capturingdata that corresponds to a welding current of the welding application.The code also includes instructions for detecting parameters associatedwith a short circuit from the captured data. The code includesinstructions for analyzing the detected parameters to monitor thespatter generating event during the welding application and to determinean amount of spatter generated by the spatter generating event.

In another embodiment, a method for monitoring an amount of spattergenerated during a welding application includes detecting parametersassociated with spatter generating events occurring during the weldingapplication. The method also includes analyzing the detected parametersto determine the amount of spatter generated by the spatter generatingevents. The method includes communicating the determined amount ofspatter generated by the spatter generating events. The method mayinclude the ability to set thresholds at increasing severity levels suchas recording and archiving the event, activating an alert, and actuallyshutting down the equipment to prevent poor quality production.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a welding system employinga device for analyzing spatter generating events in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating an embodiment of a method for monitoringa spatter generating event using a threshold current in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating an embodiment of a method for monitoringa spatter generating event using a threshold time period in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating an embodiment of a method for monitoringa spatter generating event using a combination of a threshold currentand a threshold time period in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating an embodiment of a method for monitoringa spatter generating event using parameters detected after a shortcircuit occurs in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating an embodiment of a method for monitoringa spatter generating event during pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P)in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for monitoring anamount of spatter generated during a welding application in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodimentof a welding system 10 with a device for analyzing spatter generatingevents. In the illustrated embodiment, the welding system 10 is a gasmetal arc welding (GMAW) system, sometimes referred to by its subtypesmetal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal active gas (MAG) welding,although the present techniques may be used on other welding systemswhere spatter is a concern, such as flux cored arc welding (FCAW),shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), and so forth. The welding system 10powers, controls, and supplies consumables to a welding application. Thewelding system 10 includes a welding power supply 12 and a voltagesensing wire feeder 14. As will be appreciated, other embodiments mayinclude a non-voltage sensing wire feeder 14.

The welding power supply 12 receives primary power 16 (e.g., from the ACpower grid, an engine/generator set, a battery, or other energygenerating or storage devices, or a combination thereof), conditions theprimary power, and provides an output power to one or more weldingdevices in accordance with demands of the system 10. The primary power16 may be supplied from an offsite location (i.e., the primary power mayoriginate from the power grid). Accordingly, the welding power supply 12includes power conversion circuitry 18 that may include circuit elementssuch as transformers, rectifiers, switches, and so forth, capable ofconverting the AC input power to AC or DC output power as dictated bythe demands of the system 10 (e.g., particular welding processes andregimes). Such circuits are generally known in the art.

In some embodiments, the power conversion circuitry 18 may be configuredto convert the primary power 16 to both weld and auxiliary poweroutputs. However, in other embodiments, the power conversion circuitry18 may be adapted to convert primary power only to a weld power output,and a separate auxiliary converter may be provided to convert primarypower to auxiliary power. Still further, in some embodiments, thewelding power supply 12 may be adapted to receive a converted auxiliarypower output directly from a wall outlet. Indeed, any suitable powerconversion system or mechanism may be employed by the welding powersupply 12 to generate and supply weld and auxiliary power.

The welding power supply 12 includes control circuitry 20. The controlcircuitry 20 includes at least one controller that controls theoperations of the welding power supply 12, and may be configured toreceive and process a plurality of inputs regarding the performance anddemands of the system 10. Furthermore, the control circuitry 20 mayinclude volatile or non-volatile memory 21, such as ROM, RAM, magneticstorage memory, optical storage memory, or a combination thereof. Inaddition, a variety of control regimes for various welding processes,along with associated settings and parameters may be stored in thememory along with code configured to provide a specific output (e.g.,initiate wire feed, enable gas flow, capture welding current data,detect short circuit parameters, determine amount of spatter, etc.)during operation.

The welding power supply 12 may include a user interface 22. The controlcircuitry 20 may receive input from the user interface 22 through whicha user may choose a process, and input desired parameters (e.g.,voltages, currents, particular pulsed or non-pulsed welding regimes, andso forth). Furthermore, the control circuitry 20 may control parametersinput by the user as well as any other parameters. Specifically, theuser interface 22 may include a display for presenting, or indicating,information to an operator (e.g., when spatter generating events occur,an accumulated amount of spatter, etc.). The control circuitry 20 mayinclude interface circuitry for communicating data to other devices inthe system 10, such as the wire feeder 14. The welding power supply 12may include a transceiver 24 for wirelessly communicating 25 with otherdevices. In certain embodiments, the welding power supply 12 maycommunicate with other devices using a wired connection, or some othercommunication method.

A gas supply 26 provides shielding gases, such as argon, helium, carbondioxide, and so forth, depending upon the welding application. Theshielding gas flows to a valve 28, which controls the flow of gas, andif desired, may be selected to allow for modulating or regulating theamount of gas supplied to a welding application. The valve 28 may beopened, closed, or otherwise operated by the control circuitry 20 toenable, inhibit, or control gas flow through the valve 28. For example,when the valve 28 is closed, shielding gas may be inhibited from flowingthrough the valve 28. Conversely, when the valve 28 is opened, shieldinggas is enabled to flow through the valve 28. Shielding gas exits thevalve 28 and flows through a cable or hose 30 (which in someimplementations may be packaged with the welding power output) to thewire feeder 14 which provides the shielding gas to the weldingapplication.

Welding power flows through a cable 32 to the wire feeder 14. The wirefeeder 14 may use the welding power to power the various components inthe wire feeder 14, such as to power control circuitry 34. The controlcircuitry 34 controls the operations of the wire feeder 14. The wirefeeder 14 also includes a transceiver 36 for wirelessly communicating 38with the welding power supply 12, or another device. In someembodiments, the wire feeder 14 may communicate with other devices usinga wired connection.

The wire feeder 14 includes a user interface 40. The control circuitry34 may receive input from the user interface 40, such as via methods anddevices described in relation to the user interface 22. Furthermore, thecontrol circuitry 34 may display information to an operator, such asvoltage, current, wire speed, wire type, when spatter events occur,spatter accumulation, running count of spatter events, average rate ofspatter events, and so forth. The wire feeder 14 may include a contactor42 (e.g., high amperage relay) which is controlled by the controlcircuitry 34 and configured to enable or inhibit welding power to flowto a weld power cable 44 for the welding application. In certainembodiments, the contactor 42 may be an electromechanical device, whilein other embodiments the contactor 42 may be any other suitable device,such as a solid state device. The wire feeder 14 includes a wire drive46 that receives control signals from the control circuit 34 to driverollers 48 that rotate to pull wire off a spool 50 of wire. The wire isprovided to the welding application through a cable 52. Likewise, thewire feeder 14 may provide shielding gas through a cable 54. As may beappreciated, the cables 44, 52, and 54 may be bundled together with acoupling device 56.

A torch 58 uses the wire, welding power, and shielding gas for a weldingapplication. Further, the torch 58 is used to establish a welding arcbetween the torch 58 and a workpiece 60. A work cable 62, which may beterminated with a clamp 64 (or another power connecting device), couplesthe welding power supply 12 to the workpiece 60 to complete a weldingpower circuit. As illustrated, a voltage sense cable 66 is coupled fromthe wire feeder 14 to the workpiece 60 using a sense clamp 68 (oranother power connecting mechanism). The wire feeder 14 is connected tothe welding power supply 12 so that it may operate even when a weldingarc is not formed by the torch 58. Specifically, the wire feeder 14receives welding power from the welding power supply 12 through cable32. However, in certain embodiments, the wire feeder 14 may be poweredthrough an alternate cable. In such embodiments, the voltage sense cable68 may be replaced by wiring within the alternate cable. The weldingpower is connected to the various components in the wire feeder 14(e.g., control circuitry 34, wire drive 46, user interface 40). A returnpath for the wire feeder 14 power is formed using the sense cable 66with the sense clamp 68 connected to the workpiece 60. Further, the workcable 62 with the work clamp 64 provide the final portion of the returnpath to the welding power supply 12. Thus, the return path includes thecable 66, the workpiece 60, and the cable 62.

As illustrated, the welding system 10 includes a welding helmet 70 and awelding monitoring system 72. The welding helmet 70 includes a display74 or human interface (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs), liquidcrystal displays (LCDs), vibration device, audio transducer, etc.) tocommunicate information to a welding operator (e.g., such as whenspatter related events occur, an average rate of spatter events, or anaccumulated amount of spatter generated). The welding helmet 70wirelessly communicates 76 with other devices, such as the welding powersupply 12, the wire feeder 14, and/or the welding monitoring system 72.In certain embodiments, the welding helmet 70 may include a speaker toprovide audio feedback to the welding operator (e.g., audio informationabout spatter, etc.). The welding monitoring system 72 also includes adisplay 78 for displaying data, such as spatter related information.Further, the welding monitoring system 72 wirelessly communicates 80with other devices (the welding monitoring system 72 may alsocommunicate with wired communication). As will be appreciated, any ofthe devices in the welding system 10 may be used to monitor, capture,process, analyze, and/or display data relating to spatter generatingevents. For example, the welding power supply 12, the wire feeder 14,the welding helmet 70, and/or the welding monitoring system 72 may beused to monitor, capture, process, analyze, and/or display data relatingto spatter generating events. As such, feedback relating to spattergenerating events may be provided to the welding operator, a monitoringsystem, and/or a manager.

It should be noted that spatter generating events may be detected in avariety of ways. FIGS. 2 through 5 illustrate a few embodiments of howspatter generating events may be detected. Accordingly, FIG. 2 is agraph 82 illustrating an embodiment of a method for monitoring a spattergenerating event based on a welding current 84. Specifically, the graph82 illustrates the welding current 84 during time 86. As will beappreciated, if a short circuit clears when the welding current 84 ishigh (e.g., approximately 500 amps), a large amount of power may bepresent resulting in a significant spatter generating event.Accordingly, time periods on the graph 82, where the welding current 84is greater than a threshold current 88, indicate time periods where itis likely that significant spatter generating events occur.

For example, at segment 90, the welding current 84 signifies a weldingarc current during a time period 92. A point 94 at the intersection ofsegments 90 and 96 indicates a start of a short circuit. The shortcircuit continues through segment 96 during a time period 98 until theshort circuit clears at point 100. Accordingly, the welding current 84at point 100 is considered the short circuit clearing current. Asdiscussed above, a significant spatter generating event is likely tooccur when the welding current 84 (e.g., short circuit clearing current)is greater than the threshold current 88. Therefore, because point 100is greater than the threshold current 88, it is likely that asignificant spatter generating event has occurred.

Time periods on the graph 82, where the welding current 84 is less thanthe threshold current 88, indicate time periods where it is likely thatspatter generating events do not occur. For example, at segment 102, thewelding current 84 signifies a welding arc current during a time period104. A point 106 at the intersection of segments 102 and 108 indicates astart of another short circuit. The short circuit continues throughsegment 108 during a time period 110 until the short circuit clears atpoint 112. Because short circuit clearing current at point 112 is lessthan the threshold current 88, it is likely that a spatter generatingevent has not occurred at point 112. As illustrated at segment 114, thewelding current 84 returns to a welding arc current during time 116.Thus according to the method described using the graph 82, significantspatter generating events may be detected.

In addition to detecting when spatter generating events occur,parameters associated with a short circuit may be used to determine anamount or severity of spatter generated by the spatter generating event.For example, an amount of spatter may be determined by the followingequation: I_(CLEAR) ²/(I_(AVG) ²*T_(SHORT)). In this equation, I_(CLEAR)² represents the short circuit clearing current (e.g., current at point100) squared, I_(AVG) ² represents an average of the welding current 84over a time period (e.g., such as 1 to 3 seconds) squared, and T_(SHORT)(in milliseconds) represents the length of time of the short circuit(e.g., time 98 for the short represented by segment 96). It should benoted that such an equation may work well for short circuits of a shortduration (e.g., less than one millisecond). For short circuits that havea longer duration, the following equation may be used: I_(CLEAR)²/I_(AVG) ². For either short or long duration short circuits, theaverage welding current (I_(AVG) ²) in the denominator may help tonormalize the resultant but also take into account the amount of spattergenerated that clears the depression in the puddle. For example, athigher average currents, there may be a deeper depression in the puddlecaused by a more powerful arc force. The deeper depression may trap someof the spatter therein. Further, at very high currents, a complete balltransfer may occur below an upper lip of the depression. According tothe techniques described, an amount or severity of a spatter generatingevent may be determined.

FIG. 3 is a graph 118 illustrating an embodiment of a method formonitoring a spatter generating event based on a length of time of ashort circuit (e.g., when the length of the short circuit is greaterthan three milliseconds). Specifically, the graph 118 illustrates thewelding current 84 during time 86. A time 120 indicates the end of athreshold time period 122 that began at a start of a short circuit atpoint 124. As will be appreciated, in certain embodiments, the weldingcurrent 84 is increased as the duration of a short circuit increases.Therefore, if the short circuit that starts at point 124 last longerthan the threshold time period 122, then it is likely that a significantspatter generating event occurred as a result of the short circuit thatstarted at point 124. Further, a time 126 indicates the end of athreshold time period 128 that began at a start of a short circuit atpoint 130. If the short circuit that starts at point 130 last longerthan the threshold time period 128, then it is likely that a significantspatter generating event occurred as a result of the short circuit thatstarted at point 130. For short circuit durations that exceed thethreshold time period 122, the following equation may be used: I_(CLEAR)²*T_(SHORT) (I_(AVG) ²). In this equation, I_(CLEAR) ² represents theshort circuit clearing current (e.g., current at point 140) squared,I_(AVG) ² represents an average of the welding current 84 over a timeperiod (e.g., such as 1 to 3 seconds) squared, and T_(SHORT) (inmilliseconds) represents the length of time of the short circuit (e.g.,time 138 for the short represented by segment 136).

For example, at segment 132, the welding current 84 signifies a weldingarc current during a time period 134. A short circuit starts at point124 at the intersection of segments 132 and 136. The short circuitcontinues through segment 136 during a time period 138 until the shortcircuit clears at point 140. As discussed above, a significant spattergenerating event is likely to occur when the time period 138 of theshort circuit is greater than the threshold time period 122. Therefore,because the time period 138 is greater than the threshold time period122, it is likely that a significant spatter generating event hasoccurred.

As another example, at segment 142, the welding current 84 signifies awelding arc current during a time period 144. A short circuit starts atpoint 130 at the intersection of segments 142 and 146. The short circuitcontinues through segment 146 during a time period 148 until the shortcircuit clears at point 150. Because the time period 148 is less thanthe threshold time period 128, it is likely that a spatter generatingevent has not occurred. As illustrated at segment 152, the weldingcurrent 84 returns to a welding arc current during time 154. Thusaccording to the method described using the graph 118, significantspatter generating events may be detected.

FIG. 4 is a graph 156 illustrating an embodiment of a method formonitoring a spatter generating event using a combination of thethreshold current 88 and a threshold time period. Specifically, thegraph 156 illustrates the welding current 84 during time 86. In certainembodiments, if the short circuit that starts at point 124 has a peakcurrent greater than the threshold current 88 and lasts longer than thethreshold time period 122, then it is likely that a significant spattergenerating event occurred as a result of the short circuit that startedat point 124. Further, if the short circuit that starts at point 130 hasa peak current greater than the threshold current 88 and lasts longerthan the threshold time period 128, then it is likely that a significantspatter generating event occurred as a result of the short circuit thatstarted at point 130. However, if the short circuit that starts at point130 has a peak current greater than the threshold current 88 and aduration less than the threshold time period 128, then it is likely thata spatter generating event occurred as a result of the short circuitthat started at point 130 (although the spatter generating event may notbe as significant as a spatter event where both the threshold current 88and threshold time period 128 are exceeded).

For example, at segment 158, the welding current 84 signifies a weldingarc current during a time period 160. A short circuit starts at point124 at the intersection of segments 158 and 162. The short circuitcontinues through segment 162 during a time period 164 until the shortcircuit clears at point 166. As discussed above, a significant spattergenerating event is likely to occur when the short circuit clearingcurrent at point 166 is greater than the threshold current 88 and thetime period 164 of the short circuit is greater than the threshold timeperiod 122. Therefore, because the short circuit clearing current atpoint 166 is greater than the threshold current 88 and the time period164 is greater than the threshold time period 122, it is likely that asignificant spatter generating event has occurred.

As another example, at segment 168, the welding current 84 signifies awelding arc current during a time period 170. A short circuit starts atpoint 130 at the intersection of segments 168 and 172. The short circuitcontinues through segment 172 during a time period 174 until the shortcircuit clears at point 176. Because the time period 174 is less thanthe threshold time period 128, it is likely that a significant spattergenerating event has not occurred (although the short circuit clearingcurrent at point 176 is greater than the threshold current 88). However,a small spatter generating event may have occurred. As illustrated atsegment 178, the welding current 84 returns to a welding arc currentduring time 180. Thus according to the method described using the graph156, significant spatter generating events may be detected.

FIG. 5 is a graph 182 illustrating an embodiment of a method formonitoring a spatter generating event using parameters detected after ashort circuit occurs. Specifically, the graph 182 illustrates thewelding current 84 during time 86. In certain embodiments, if thewelding arc goes out after a short circuit occurs, it is likely that asignificant spatter generating event has occurred.

For example, at segment 184, the welding current 84 signifies a weldingarc current during a time period 186. A short circuit starts at point188 at the intersection of segments 184 and 190. The short circuitcontinues through segment 190 during a time period 192 until the shortcircuit clears at point 194. After the short circuit clears at point194, the welding arc goes out (signified by the loss of weld current 84)for segment 196 during a time period 198. The welding arc returns forsegment 200. When the welding arc goes out during the segment 196 afterthe short circuit clears at point 194, it is likely that a significantspatter generating event has occurred.

Parameters associated with a short circuit followed by a welding arcgoing out can be used to determine a quantity of spatter generated.Specifically, a quantity of spatter may be calculated by the basicequation: D=R*T. The D in the equation represents the distance thatwelding wire travels to reestablish a welding arc after the welding archas gone out. This distance provides a good approximation of the amountof welding wire that has been discharged in the corresponding spattergenerating event. The R to determine the distance is the wire feed speedwhich is often controlled by the wire feeder 14. The T is the timebetween the end of the short (as detected by a loss of current, whichsignals an arc outage) and the reestablishment of the welding arc (asdetermined by detecting a welding current, which signals that thewelding wire 52 has made contact with the weld pool or workpiece 60).For example, the time in relation to FIG. 5 would be time 198, theduration that the welding current is not present. Accordingly, thequantity of welding wire lost due to spatter may be determined.

FIG. 6 is a graph 202 illustrating an embodiment of a method formonitoring a spatter generating event during pulsed gas arc welding(GMAW-P). Specifically, the graph 202 provides a representation of aGMAW-P wave shape that is common in the industry (e.g., one version isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,909,067, and a general description ofwelding waveshapes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,247) andillustrates the welding current 84 during time 86. During segment 204,the welding current 84 is low (e.g., commonly referred to as “Backgroundcurrent”). In certain embodiments, the Background current may beapproximately 60 to 100 amps. A segment 206 represents a welding current84 increase to reach a pulsed current which remains during segment 208(e.g., commonly referred to as “Peak current”). In certain embodiments,the Peak current may be approximately 300 to 500 amps. At a time 210,the pulsed current ends and ramps down during segment 212 to aBackground current level where the welding current 84 remains throughoutsegment 214. As illustrated, segment 214 is divided by a time 216, thepurpose of which will be explained in detail below. At a time 218, thewelding current 84 increases for a segment 220 to reach another pulsedcurrent which remains during segment 222. At a time 224, the pulsedcurrent ends and ramps down during segment 226 to a Background currentlevel where the welding current 84 remains throughout segment 228.

During a pulse welding process the melting and transfer of material fromthe end of the torch 58 to the puddle may be partially driven by thewave shape (in contrast to short circuit transfer where the process ismore reactionary to the interaction with the puddle). The direct controlof welding current and knowledge of the status of the material transferthat occurs during the pulsed weld may enable more accurate spattergeneration calculation. For example during a time period 230, the moltenball has just transferred or is in the final stages of transferring fromthe end of the welding wire 52 to the puddle. Short circuits may occurduring time period 230, but they are typically brief and may not causespatter. However, during a time period 232, a molten ball is at the endof the torch 58 and is not ready to be transferred. The molten ball maycreate significant spatter if a short circuit occurs. Furthermore,spatter generating events during a time period 234 may also producespatter, but such spatter may be a smaller magnitude than spatter duringperiod 232 (e.g., the molten ball is smaller and the current is lower).

A similar phenomenon may occur in other processes including shortcircuit processes, such as Short-by-Short as described in U.S. Pat. No.6,326,591 (marketed as RMD by Miller Electric Mfg. Co.), where thetransfer of welding wire 52 is controlled. Different phases of acontrolled process may be included in a spatter generation calculation.That is, as described above, monitored signals may show signs thatindicate a spatter generating event has occurred. For example, duringone period of a controlled wave shape spatter is generated and during adifferent period no spatter is generated, even though very similarsignals are produced. Thus, the association of possible spattergenerating events to the actual state of the material transfer may beincluded in the determination of the amount of spatter generated.

Likewise, starting and/or stopping welding processes may have uniquecharacteristics. For example, when starting a welding process the basematerial may be cold, the welding wire 52 may be cold, the welding wire52 may touch a solid plate instead of a molten puddle, and so forth.Therefore, different analysis of monitored signals may be used to moreaccurately report spatter generation.

As will be appreciated, an arc flare event is a condition that may bedescribed as a sudden increase in arc length which may result in asignificant spatter generator. An arc flare may occur immediatelyfollowing a short circuit or anytime during a welding process. An arcflare is similar to an arc outage, accordingly, a section of weldingwire 52 may be expelled from a torch 58 and be considered spatter.However, unlike an arc outage an arc flare event does not extinguish thearc. In contrast, during an arc flare, the arc remains lit with currentstill flowing. In the present embodiment, a voltage flare detectionthreshold (V_(FLARE) _(_) _(THRESHOLD)) may be set to a level equal tothe following formula: V_(FLARE) _(_) _(THRESHOLD)=VoltageCommand+(Sampled Current*K), where K is a constant. The constant K maybe different for various wire types and/or sizes. Once the arc voltageexceeds the V_(FLARE) _(_) _(THRESHOLD), the average spatter severitylevel may be increased at a predetermined rate until either a shortcircuit is detected or the sampled voltage falls below a predeterminedlevel. Using such a method allows a spatter generating event notassociated with the clearing of a short circuit to be detected.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart 236 of an embodiment of a method for monitoringan amount of spatter generated during a welding application. At block238, data that corresponds to welding feedback signals (e.g., weldingcurrent) of the welding application is captured. The data may be loggedin the welding power supply 12, the wire feeder 14, or some otherdevice. Such data may include the welding current, a welding voltage, awelding power, a welding circuit resistance, a wire feed speed (or othermathematical derivation from the system feedback signals), a time stampthat relates to the welding current, identification data of the weldingoperator performing the welding, the welding power supply 12configuration, the wire feeder 14 configuration, a work order number, awelding wire lot number, a consumable lot number, a consumable partnumber, a type of part being welded, a serial number of the part beingwelded, a type of weld in a series of welds, a shift, a date, and soforth. In certain embodiments, the data may be transferred to aprocessing device, such as the welding monitoring system 72, the weldinghelmet 70, and so forth. As will be appreciated, the term “capture” or“capturing” is not restricted to the device that originally logs and/ormonitors the welding feedback signals (e.g., welding current). Forexample, data may be considered “captured” by the welding monitoringsystem 72 after it is transferred to, stored on, or accessed by thewelding monitoring system 72.

At block 240, parameters associated with a short circuit are detectedfrom the captured data. For example, the parameters associated with ashort circuit may include a duration of the short circuit, a shortcircuit current, a short circuit voltage, a short circuit clearingcurrent, a welding current immediately after a short circuit clears, atime period where a welding arc is not established, a wire feed speed,an average weld current, and so forth. The parameters associated withthe short circuit may be detected using hardware, software, or somecombination thereof. For example, data processing software may be usedto detect parameters associated with the short circuit.

Next, at block 242, the detected parameters are analyzed to determinewhen spatter generating events have occurred during the weldingapplication. For example, the analysis may use one of the followinglogical tests to determine whether it is likely that a substantialspatter generating event has occurred: whether the duration of the shortcircuit is greater than a threshold time period, whether the shortcircuit current is greater than a threshold current, whether theduration of the short circuit is greater than a threshold time periodand the short circuit current is greater than a threshold current,whether an arc flare event occurred, whether the welding current thatoccurs immediately after the short circuit signifies that a welding arcis not established (e.g., the welding current is approximately 0 amps),whether welding power is greater than a threshold power, whether aresistance of the welding circuit crosses a threshold resistance,whether a rate of change of any parameter exceeds a threshold, whether aresult of a mathematical formula applied to any combination ofparameters exceeds a threshold, whether a data trend is detected, and soforth.

At block 244, the detected parameters are analyzed to determine anamount and/or severity of spatter generated by the spatter generatingevents. In certain embodiments, the amount and/or severity of thespatter generated by the spatter generating events may be determined byusing one of the following formulas: multiplying a time period after theshort circuit where a welding arc is not established by the wire feedspeed, dividing a square of the short circuit clearing current by theproduct of the duration of the short circuit and a square of the averageweld current, dividing a square of the short circuit clearing current bythe square of the average weld current, and so forth.

Then, at block 246, the occurrence of a spatter generating event and/orthe determined amount of spatter (absolute or relative) generated by thespatter generating event is communicated to a device such as a displayor speaker. In certain embodiments, an average count of spatter eventsper unit of time may be communicated to the device. As discussedpreviously, the occurrence of a spatter generating event and/or thedetermined amount of spatter generated by the spatter generating eventmay be displayed on the welding power supply 12, the wire feeder 14, thewelding helmet 70, the welding monitoring system 72, or another device.In certain embodiments, displaying the determined amount of spatter mayinclude displaying an aggregate of the determined amount of spatterduring the welding application. The aggregate of the determined amountof spatter may be configured to increase as spatter generating eventsoccur during the welding application. As will be appreciated, thedetermined amount of spatter (absolute or relative) and/or theoccurrence of a spatter generating event may be displayed (orcommunicated to the operator, a supervisor, or a team member via anothermeans such as vibration, audio, email, text message, and so forth) inreal time (e.g., very shortly after an occurrence of a spattergenerating event), near real time, or at a later time. When provided inreal time, the spatter data may provide feedback quickly to a weldingoperator that allows the welding operator to learn how to limit theamount of spatter during the welding application (e.g., by changing theconditions or variables associated with the welding application). Suchdata may be useful for training welding operators or alerting managementto focus areas for improvement via training, work fixture changes,design changes, and so forth.

In certain embodiments, data relating to the occurrence of a spattergenerating event and/or the determined amount of spatter generated bythe spatter generating event may be logged for future analysis. Suchanalysis may further divide the data to analyze the spatter for aparticular weld, for a last weld performed, for a part that has beenwelded, and so forth. In addition, the data from multiple weldingdevices may be combined into a database for analysis of spatter datarelating to a particular welding operator, a shift of welding operators,an experience level of welding operators, and so forth. As will beappreciated, the data in the database may be used for providing weldingoperators and/or managing personnel with spatter reports, such reportsmay include data related to a week, a day, a shift, a welding operator,a fixture, or a part being welded, for example. Spatter reports may beused to help welding operators and managers improve welding quality,identify operating conditions that are affecting the amount of spattergenerated, identify poor quality consumables, identify poor qualitymaterials, identify tools and/or fixtures that may reduce spatter, andso forth. In certain embodiments, the database data may be used toprovide the welding operator with a score or ranking to allow thewelding operator and/or managing personnel to analyze how weldingoperators perform relative to each other.

It should be noted that the tolerance level for the amount of spattergenerated during a welding application may vary based on the industry orparticular application, for example. Accordingly, the criteria for whatconstitutes a substantial spatter generating event may vary betweenwelding applications. As such, the thresholds (e.g., short circuitcurrent, short circuit duration) may be modified based on the weldingapplication. For example, certain parts may be rated as “class A” parts(e.g., for parts with a minimal amount of allowed spatter), “class B”parts (e.g., for parts with a moderate amount of allowed spatter), and“class C” parts (e.g., for parts with a high amount of allowed spatter).As will be appreciated, the amount of spatter generating eventsassociated with a part may be used to determine whether grinding isneeded on the parts to remove excess spatter. Using the embodimentsdiscussed above, spatter generating events may be tracked, monitored,quantified, and/or analyzed. Accordingly, data relating to the spattergenerating events may be used to limit the amount of spatter that occursduring welding applications and thereby improve the quality of welds.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the invention.

1. A system comprising: a welding power supply configured to provide awelding power output for use in a welding application; and a weldmonitoring system configured to capture data relating to the weldingapplication, to detect a parameter relating to a short circuit from thecaptured data, and to analyze the parameter relating to the shortcircuit to monitor a spatter generating event during the weldingapplication.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameter relating tothe short circuit comprises timing of the short circuit.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein the parameter relating to the short circuitcomprises a duration of the short circuit.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the parameter relating to the short circuit comprises an arcvoltage.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameter relating to theshort circuit comprises a short circuit current.
 6. The system of claim1, wherein the weld monitoring system is configured to determine anoccurrence of spatter generating event by determining whether theparameter relating to the short circuit is greater than a threshold. 7.The system of claim 6, wherein the threshold is a function of voltage.8. The system of claim 6, wherein the threshold is a function ofcurrent.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the weld monitoring system isconfigured to communicate an occurrence of the spatter generating event.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the weld monitoring system isconfigured to communicate the occurrence of the spatter generating eventin substantially real time.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the weldmonitoring system is configured to communicate the occurrence of thespatter generating event to a welding helmet.
 12. The system of claim 9,wherein the weld monitoring system comprises a display on which the weldmonitoring system displays information relating to the spattergenerating event.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the weld monitoringsystem is configured to analyze a wave shape to monitor the spattergenerating event.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the weld monitoringsystem is configured to count the spatter generating event.
 15. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the weld monitoring system is configured todetermine an amount of spatter generated by the spatter generatingevent.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the weld monitoring system isconfigured to determine the amount of spatter based at least in part ona time between an end of the short circuit and reestablishment of awelding arc.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the weld monitoringsystem is configured to determine an aggregate of the determined amountof spatter during the welding application, wherein the aggregate of thedetermined amount of spatter increases as spatter generating eventsoccur.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the weld monitoring system isconfigured to determine the aggregate of the amount of spatter for aparticular weld.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the weld monitoringsystem is configured to determine the aggregate of the amount of spatterfor a particular part being welded upon.
 20. The system of claim 17,wherein the weld monitoring system is configured to determine theaggregate of the amount of spatter for a particular operator.
 21. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein the weld monitoring system is configured todetermine the aggregate of the amount of spatter for a particular shiftof one or more operators.
 22. The system of claim 17, wherein the weldmonitoring system is configured to determine the aggregate of the amountof spatter for an experience level of one or more operators.
 23. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the weld monitoring system is configured todetermine the aggregate of the amount of spatter for a particular timeperiod.
 24. The system of claim 18, wherein the weld monitoring systemis configured to determine the aggregate of the amount of spatter for aparticular consumable.
 25. The system of claim 1, wherein the weldmonitoring system is configured to determine a time period after theshort circuit where a welding arc is not established.
 26. The system ofclaim 25, wherein the weld monitoring system is configured to determinea wire feed speed.
 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the weldmonitoring system is configured to determine an amount of spattergenerated by the spatter generating event by multiplying the time periodby the wire feed speed.
 28. The system of claim 1, wherein the weldmonitoring system is configured to detect a short circuit clearingcurrent, a duration of the short circuit, and an average weld current.29. The system of claim 28, wherein the weld monitoring system isconfigured to determine an amount of spatter generated by the spattergenerating event by dividing a square of the short circuit clearingcurrent by a product of the duration of the short circuit and a squareof the average weld current.
 30. The system of claim 1, comprising awire feeder configured to provide welding wire to a welding torch foruse in the welding application.